Manga
Netflix
Takashi Asuma (飛鳥馬 尚, Asuma Takashi) is a minor character in Alice in Borderland, who participates in the King of Diamonds game, "Beauty Contest".
Appearance[]
Asuma has dark hair with multiple curls that resemble loose roses. The rest of his hair strands is neatly slicked back, giving him a professional, business man style. He has thin eyes, a crooked nose, furrowed eyebrows, and a confident posture. His outfit consists of a simple gray business suit with a fitted, buttoned blazer, a white undershirt and tie, slacks, and pointed black shoes. Before the Beauty Contest commences, he is seen holding a translucent umbrella to maintain his appearance.
History[]
Asuma's story prior to the King of Diamonds remains mostly unknown, except for the fact he was a security analyst in the real world. However, he must have played enough games during the First Stage to make it to the Second Stage and survived the King of Spades' onslaught long enough to join the King of Diamonds game.
Story[]
Asuma waiting near the Supreme Court
Asuma is first introduced in the story, waiting in the rain in front of the Supreme Court with Benzou Yashige and Hinako Daimon. He is asked by Yashige to name any of his favorite numbers, leaving him confused before he answers:
"...9 517. That was the stock average on the final day of the previous world."
After hearing Yashige's math equation as the explanation, Asuma remains confused until Yashige justifies his choice. The group sees Shuntarou Chishiya approaching, and Asuma stays silent, observing Daimon question Chishiya and his experience in the Diamonds specialty. The group enters the courthouse, and Asuma closes his umbrella, walking farther into the building. Upon seeing Keiichi Kuzuryuu sitting at a round table, glaring coldly at the players, Asuma remains silent, allowing Chishiya, Daimon, and Yashige to do the talking before he sits down at the table and shackles his right ankle, following Kuzuryuu's orders. The game begins, and Daimon comments on the name of the game, declaring herself the automatic winner. Asuma speaks up, mentioning the appearance of the scales as the "Keynesian beauty contest", an economic concept that suggests a person should base their choices on what they think others will choose rather than their own preferences. It comes from old newspaper beauty polls and is often compared to how people invest in the stock market, predicting others' choices rather than following their own.
The rules of the "Beauty Contest" are explained to the participants:
- Each player receives a tablet with a display showing a large number and a stacked chart ranging from 0 to 100;
- Players are given one minute to select a number;
- All chosen numbers are added together, and the total is divided by the number of players;
- That result is then multiplied by 0.8. The player whose chosen number is closest to the final value keeps all their points, while every other participant loses one point;
- Any player who loses ten points receives a GAME OVER.
Asuma noticing aqua regia filling in the scale above him
Asuma listens to the announcement informing the players that new rules will be added for a player who loses the game, reasoning the rule as "an allowance to get players accustomed to the game". For only the first round, players will be allowed five minutes to decide on a number. During the latter round, Asuma quietly selects 33 and listens to Daimon attempting to converse with Chishiya, who reminds her that the extra minutes are valuable. Asuma joins in on the conversation, mentioning that everyone else is eliminating possibilities and inferences. Upon seeing his one point lost due to Kuzuryuu winning the round, Asuma remains silent, staring at the screen with a displeased expression. Asuma hears the sound of liquid flowing in an open container and looks up to see the scale above his head tilting slightly downward. He assumes the liquid is acid, and Yashige confirms, naming it aqua regia, a type of strong acid that melts noble metals like gold. During the second round, Asuma thinks rationally, remembering the maximum number as 100. If everyone chooses it, it would end up as 80, as 0.8 × 100 = 80.
"But if no one chooses anything over 80, the maximum average would be 0.8 times 80, which is 64. And if you follow that logic forward, the average would be 51.2..."
Asuma decides his next number as 15, and he loses another point, remaining indifferent and still calculating the equation. In round three, he predicts that as the number of steps increases, everyone else will eventually pick 0, recognizing it as the "Nash equilibrium". He pauses, mentioning that in reality, none of the players would pick 0 due to the limits of their rationality. He calls it "bounded rationality", a known concept where one makes a decision with limited information and limited willingness to process, choosing satisfactory results over their optimal counterparts. Using this concept and additionally considering what a person thinks regarding the rest of the participants, Asuma glares at Kuzuryuu, wondering if the latter truly knows all of the players' cognitive capabilities, and updates the math each round.
He picks 7, losing to Kuzuryuu again, finally grasping the process. He explains to himself that how they end up here does not matter, but the Nash equilibrium is a high possibility, remembering how the points only deducted the "non-winners" and would not give a winner or any changed points.
"It's equilibrium alright, this game will never end!!"
Asuma's final appearance
Asuma looks at Kuzuryuu and imagines the latter could not have seen this coming, and wonders why he continues to play the game, not understanding his thinking process. Asuma decides on 0 for the fifth round, bewildered to see Chishiya choosing 100. Yashige calls him out, and Chishiya asks him and Asuma if they are thinking about it too much, explaining that too much math to calculate "just makes your head hurt".
Asuma tries to soothe himself in the sixth round, excusing the fact that Chishiya has no benefit from making the same choice. In the seventh round, he picks 5 and is shocked again that Daimon nominated 100, leading to Chishiya as the winner of the round. Asuma chooses 4 in the eighth round and stares at Daimon in disbelief, assuming she will go for 100 again. He settles on a larger number, heading for 34 in round nine. Asuma shakes in horror at another loss, determining his final number as 0, making the tenth round his final round. The scale bends down on him and Yashige, engulfing their bodies in the aqua regia. Their pained screams ring throughout the courthouse, leaving their bodies a bloody pulp for the other participants to see.
Games Played[]
Etymology[]
- The forename Takashi is written with the kanji "尚" (still, yet, further, more).
- The surname Asuma is a combination of the three kanji: "飛" (a) (leap, jump, fly), "鳥" (su) (bird), and "馬" (ma) (horse).